call it curiosity, call it silly, but after being on the road for so long, alistair actually believed that elethea actually enjoyed being in his company. when they were traveling, they walked side - by - side, talking the entire way. sometimes, they even shared a horse. when they camped at night, after she'd had her fill of conversation with her sister, she'd wander over to him, much to his sheer delight. “ well, look at you. saving the best for last, eh? ” he teases with a grin and a crinkled nose. maker, he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. while she replies to him, he watches her rather intently, even if he doesn't mean to. the way the flames throw shadows over her face, he's mesmerized. “ you know, i was thinking, ” he begins, hands splayed out behind him as he turns to elethea, lips pursed slightly with gently furrowed brows. “ when all this finishes, what will you do? or better yet, what do you want to do? i'm sure there's a billion things they'll want you to do, but if you had the choice, what would you do? ”
“ really? no one has asked you? ever? ” his face displays genuine confusion, though part of him already knows the answer. of course she hasn't. he doubts that anyone has cared enough about her enough to ask, focusing more on her title, her lands . . . perhaps he is lucky to meet her in this circumstance. “ then the rest are fools. ” he says plainly, leaning just a bit closer. “ and i shall be the lucky bastard who gets to hear you answer this question for the first time. shall we compare notes afterwards? see if we're at all compatable? ”
